the blue colnago

2010-12-31T23:28:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year!!!!

The Pink Flamingos....

Out with the old, in with the new....

Hope it's wonderful with lots of cycling!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2010-12-24T10:39:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy the day and the season. Consider the origin and the meaning.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2010-12-20T06:33:00.002-06:00

WOW!

30 degrees warmer than it was yesterday at this time! It's actually 19 above zero this morning! Heat wave! Woohoo!

Snow on the way.

Rode the trainer yesterday, it was actually good. Starting over. Perhaps I'll take it a little more seriously this year. :)

Had to put a new battery in the Passat yesterday.

New tires on the Jetta tonight.

It's all good. 3 work days this week. Just back to work from a week of vacation.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2010-11-08T07:19:00.000-06:00

Psychlofest....

Kevin and Nate. Pretty intense.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2010-11-03T20:50:00.002-05:00

Spooky Cross....

Looks serious....

DFL...

Spooky was, as usual, a blast! Pajamas on Saturday, Jester on Sunday. I think that the Jester may make an appearance at Jingle this year :) Should be good!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2010-07-18T11:50:00.002-05:00

Sunday....

Spent the day up in Kensett, Iowa yesterday. It was GREAT seeing family that I hadn't seen in quite some time.

Rode to Hudson and back with Jackal this morning. I am soooooo out of shape. It was a good ride, though, and perhaps just what I needed to get me motivated to get back on the bike a bit more consistantly.

Lunch time....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2010-07-12T21:15:00.001-05:00

July already?

Holy crap!

Still alive and kickin'

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2010-05-03T07:06:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday....

I got a little riding in on the CX bike this weekend. It hadn't been out of the basement since Jingle. The Yellow Bike and the single speeds have been ridden, but not the CX bike.

The trails were pretty busy yesterday, which made "the goin'" kinda slow. Lot's of people out enjoying the beautiful weather.

Should be able to get the kayaks out soon. I'm sure the water is still cold enough that a spill wouldn't be too much fun! The goal would be not to take a spill, I guess :)

Anyway.... Life is good :)

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2010-04-26T20:18:00.009-05:00

T.I. v.VI....

Road to checkpoint 3....
He didn't make it....

Judy and I went to Grinnell this past weekend to help G-Ted and DP with Trans Iowa v. 6. Whoa! Our job was to man checkpoint 3 until the cut-off time of 1 a.m. 207 miles into a 314 mile race. The forecast called for showers with about 3/10ths of an inch of rain over the weekend. I believe that the Grinnell area received an inch and a half on Friday night alone. More on Saturday and Saturday night. The dirt and gravel roads sucked that moisture up like a sponge. Mud.

57 brave souls toed the line at 4 a.m. heading out for the 44 miles to checkpoint 1 in Monroe, Iowa. 27 of them made the cut-off time of 4 hours. Checkpoint 2 was 87 miles away from Monroe at What Cheer. Several made the 5 p.m. cut-off, but only 8 moved on toward checkpoint 3. None of them made it. The race was called and then ended in North English.

It was brootal.

And beautiful.

The fact that 57 started this 314 mile death march sends shivers up my spine. 314 miles of gravel and "B" maintenance roads. Rural, desolate, isolated Iowa farm country. Mud. Rain. Thunder. Lightning. Wind. 33 hours to complete it. Not one minute more. 57 people facing this huge challenge, willingly.

A test of oneself against Mother Nature and the backroads of Iowa. A test of one's physical conditioning and mental power. The ability to suffer and bear it. How do these folks keep going when the body and the mind say "stop"?

The physical effort required to make it to checkpoint 1 was superhuman. Those that went on from there were nothing short of amazing. To leave from checkpoint 2 and head toward checkpoint 3 in the prevailing conditions bordered on insanity. It would require another superhuman effort to travel those 76 miles. 1 a.m. cut-off. 107 miles to go after checkpoint 3 to the finish.

The dark loneliness of rural Iowa backroads. Wet, cold, and hungry. Riding a bicycle with only your own thoughts to keep you company....

But it wasn't to be. Not this year. Mother Nature had the final say in this version of Trans Iowa. The race was called at about 7 p.m. The halfway point. It wasn't the first time. It won't be the last. Mother Nature can throw a mean pitch. When she shows her full fury, she always wins.

Everyone who starts the race knows this outcome is a possibility. In the springtime. In Iowa. It happens. Yet, 57 people faced the challenge. They toed the line and started the race. They took off in the dark to find a convenience store in a small town 44 miles of "B" roads and gravel away.

Each racer hoped to make the checkpoint on time and move toward the next. Each knew that the physical and mental aspects of this undertaking were huge. Each knew that they may not make it. Yet they tried. They took up the challenge. They were willing to face whatever was on the road ahead of them.

They all have my respect. Each and every one of them. This race is, without a doubt, the most difficult adventure many of these people will ever face. Even if the roads were dry and the weather were perfect, it would be a huge challenge for even the best prepared racers.

I suspect that most of these 57 people will register for this race again next year. They will toe the line at 4 a.m. in some small, still sleeping, out of the way town in the countryside of Iowa, hoping for a good result in what will possibly be the most difficult challenge of their lives.

It sends shivers up my spine.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2010-03-28T20:51:00.009-05:00

Nice day....

East Lake Trail, couple of inches of water....

More water....

Like I said, 2-3" of water....

Flotsam....

The bridge....

Trail fell away....

Sand everywhere....

Some of it pretty deep....

Saw Super and Scottie Gall out on top of the dike. Were y'all havin' fun? :) The entire trail through the East Lake area and Wyth is ridable except for a section just west of the campground. It's under water that appeared deeper than I wanted to try to ride. You have to take the road to the other end of the park and get back on the trail. It looks like all of the dirt trails along the river are still under water.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2010-03-13T14:37:00.011-06:00

High water....

North Hackett is closed....
The bike path is covered with snow and ice where it's shaded....

Water over the road....

1 x 1 rollin'....

Krieg's Crossing....

The Cedar is mean today....

The trail under Waterloo Road....

Washington Park golf course is a water hazard....

Flood gates are closed....

Downtown Cedar Falls....

Light rain....

I went out on the 1 x 1 to check the flooding this morning. The river is about a half mile north of us here and we are so far above it that I don't think we'll ever flood, but it's a different story just a couple blocks north. Lots of water and it's still rising. I don't think anyone expects anything like the floods of '08 this year, but it's flooded just the same.... Hopefully it won't get much worse.

Carl sent an email while I was drinking my coffee this morning saying that FedEx had called telling him he had a big box from Verge. Woohoo! The new VeloSyndikat team kits are here! That didn't take long! I rode with him and the Queen of Cross out to the FedEx facility on Airline Highway to pick them up. Sweet!

He brought me back to my house and opened the carton in the drive and pulled out my mid-weight jacket, since I was heading out for a ride on the Surly. Nice quality, nice fit, and good looking!

I rode down by the river then back up Grand before heading over to The Shop. Met Chris and Brent there and Scott walked in a couple of minutes later. Mike Johnson stopped in on his way out for his 5 hour training ride. It was good to get out and about today!

Time to run up to Jackal's for a minute. Have a great weekend!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2010-03-11T21:04:00.001-06:00

Next week....

I think I'll probably start posting here again in a week or so. Just sayin'

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2010-02-08T20:35:00.001-06:00

Artistic....

Bidwell is up to his old tricks again :) I can't believe he's letting me drive.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2010-02-02T06:49:00.003-06:00

Iowa....

This is Iowa, folks. It sometimes snows here in the wintertime. After a week of dry pavement you all seem to forget how to drive when we get a couple of inches of new snow. Take a deep breath, slow down a little, and pay attention to your driving. If the professional drivers in the semis are driving 45 mph on the highway, perhaps you should consider that there may be a reason for it.

That being said....

It looks like it might be decent for xc skiing or snowshoeing again. :) I like that.

I've been putting in some time on the trainer and my bottom is used to the saddle again. That's a good thing!

Anyway, the temps are up into the bearable range again. Actually, 25-30F is downright nice for outdoor winter activities. Sweet! A little more snow is forecast for the next few days. Possibly some drizzle. We'll see....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2010-02-01T07:07:00.002-06:00

Monday....

Sounds like some snow and possibly some ice are in the forecast for today and tonight. This is the time of year when I start dragging.

We had snow that was good for xc skiing and for snowshoeing earlier but all that changed with the meltdown and the rain. It's sort of crusty out there.

Passing the time by riding on the trainer in the basement. Could be worse, I guess. :)

Ahhhhh well.....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2010-01-13T06:40:00.004-06:00

It's been awhile....

Jackal and Me....

Lots of things going on around here. The weather has been up and down. A week or two with below zero (F) temps overnight and highs in the single digits. I was still able to get out and do some snowshoeing and a little bit of XC skiing, despite the cold. Jackal and I spent some time at Big Woods on skis last Sunday afternoon. It was good, especially after a couple of hours out there on snowshoes that morning. The skiing frustrates me because you go out in the morning and the ski trails are good and by the afternoon those trails are obliterated by walkers. I mean, they are gone to the point that you can't even see them anymore. That takes some of the fun out of it but, hey, whatcha gonna do?

Haven't been out to the Greenbelt yet this year. I suspect that those trails are probably better since it's a bit more remote than Big Woods Lake. Mark? I know you've been out there....

I've actually spent more time on the snowshoes than the skis. It's pretty easy to get the heart rate up and keep it up on shoes. Good stuff!

It's time to get back on the trainer, I guess. I've neglected it this year. Believe me, I definitely need it! What I'd really like to do is to ride it in the mornings before work but I get up and go to work too early. I 'spose I could make some adjustments to the work schedule.... :)

That's about it for now. Get outside and enjoy it!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-12-28T14:29:00.002-06:00

Happy Holidays....

I work with a bunch of "creative" people, many of whom appear to have too much time on their hands. They include graphic artists, designers, pre-press, and press people along with several of their managers and supervisors as well as a couple members of the sales staff and customer service. The usual cast of characters in a printing company....

I received an email from The Thin Man one day last week thanking me for the Christmas Card. I just shook my head, not really knowing who Judy had sent cards to. I thought it was nice of him to mention it....

I went out a few hours later to get the mail and noticed a Christmas card with no return address on it in my mailbox. I opened it up to find the card that is pictured above.... I laughed so hard that I cried. Good work. I will admit that Judy didn't find it quite as humorous as I did but hey, she's a good sport. :)

Like I said, they apparently have too much time on their hands. :) As I understand it, there were A LOT of people involved in the production of this "masterpiece". I am also led to believe that my Christmas card list this year was fairly extensive. I've been getting emails from people all over the country telling me how much they enjoyed receiving my card this year. Hmmmm.....

If anyone has Will Greenwood's address, please email it to me so that I can send him one of these cards. I'm pretty sure he'd enjoy seeing it.

Have a safe and happy new year.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-12-24T11:23:00.001-06:00

'Twas the night before Christmas....

I'd like to wish a very Merry Christmas to all of my cycling friends, family, and whomever else may happen upon this blog.

God bless....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-12-24T11:17:00.004-06:00

Ummmm.....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-12-23T08:17:00.011-06:00

Things....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-12-22T00:19:00.003-06:00

Dreams....

My good friend Jeremy Bidwell posted on Facebook that he had a dream last night in which he was doing a cyclocross race while riding a Pugsley. He qualified that by saying that he had never actually done a cross race nor had he ever ridden a Pugsley. What do our dreams really mean?

Here is my reply to him....

"I'm picturing you hefting a 40 pound Pugsley over the extra tall barriers at the bottom of an incredibly steep and long runup with hundreds of hecklers lining the course offering beer and processed meatstick handups while ringing cowbells, blowing horns, shaking tambourines, beating drums, and waving the Lion of Flanders flag..... There are dollar bills laying all over the muddy runup but you seem to be completely oblivious to them, yet, curiously, you're smiling.... I know that some people will question your sanity, my friend, but to me you are as normal as I am."

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-12-14T17:48:00.002-06:00

Road I.D. ....

Hey Everyone,I just ordered one of the best products ever. It's called a Road ID - perhaps you've heard of it.

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When I ordered, they gave me a coupon that I could pass along to my friends.

Here's the coupon number:Coupon Number: ThanksPaul591806

The coupon is good for $1 off any Road ID order placed by 01/14/2010.

To order, simply go to RoadID.com or click the link below:

http://www.RoadID.com/?CID=ThanksPaul591806

If you prefer, you can call them at 800-345-6335.

You can thank me later.

Oh by the way, their website is awesome, the customer service is outstanding, and the owners are very smart and good looking.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-12-08T06:55:00.009-06:00

More Jingle Cross Rock....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-12-06T19:45:00.021-06:00

Jingle Cross Rock....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-11-26T10:33:00.002-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-11-25T22:39:00.001-06:00

Getting ready for Jingle....

Mr. Gurd reminded me that I should probably take my bike, too.... Thanks, Buddy!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-11-24T07:01:00.003-06:00

I haven't given up....

I'm sure there are some people out there in the Blogosphere who might think I've given up blogging. There may be a couple who wish I would.

Well, I haven't. These past couple of months have been very busy for me. Lot's of things going on at work that have taken a lot of time and energy, and CX racing every weekend but one for the past 2 months. I'm fried.

One more weekend of racing. Jingle Cross. This coming weekend. Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday. It's going to be good. :) Everyone who races CX should attend it at least once. Huge party atmosphere. Awesome course. The very best hecklers. It's just plain fun.

Last weekend was Cedar Falls Cranksgiving on Saturday. It was a good time. Not bad for the first year. 29 participants, all of whom seemed to be having a great time. Kudos to Redg and The Thin Man and everyone else involved in organizing and sponsoring this great event. The beer at The Landmark was pretty good, too!

Sunday was the last race of the Quad Cities series. Middle Park Madness. As usual, the folks from DICE put on a great event. Special thanks to Bruce Grell and Donnie Miller and all of the folks from Dice. Also a big Thank You To Scott Swanson and his wonderful wife Kat for the officiating and registration duties. You do a great job!

That's about it for now. I'll do a photo dump one day soon. Judy has taken a ton of good pictures this year. She's gotten pretty good with the camera!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-11-17T17:27:00.002-06:00

Cranksgiving....

This Saturday, boys and girls.... My good friend Redgie Blanco says "Be there or be square"....

This is a wonderful cause to help provide a Thanksgiving dinner for some of those in our community who are less fortunate. This is an annual event in many communities around the country and this year Redg has made the effort to bring it to our community. Please get out there and help make this a success and have some fun while doing it! Thanks in advance for your support!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-11-11T07:42:00.002-06:00

Happy Veterans Day....

Approximately 10% of all living American citizens are veterans of the U.S. Military.

Approximately 1% of all American citizens are serving at any given time.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-11-08T20:20:00.007-06:00

71F on the 8th of November....

Geese on the pond....
The Yellow Bike....

Hartman North....

At Black Hawk Park....

"Specialized...."

A beaver dam....

Resting....

I couldn't pass up a ride today since it was 71 degrees and sunny outside. It was about the same yesterday but I didn't get out to ride then. Other things going on....

I went north on Hackett to the point that you can go into the woods on the short section of singletrack on the north side of the paved trail. When I came out on Shirey Way there was a guy standing next to the river beating a drum. I thought that was kinda weird but, hey, whatever trips your trigger.... :)

Shirey Way is different now. The last time I was in there it had just been graded. Now it is covered in new gravel. Not the smoothest surface around. Some of it is pretty big. It looks like most of the singletrack on the north side is still under water. :(

Anyway, I got to the west end of Hartman North and got back on the paved trail then headed toward Pfeiffer and into Cedar Falls. It was then out around Big Woods Lake and out to Black Hawk Park. Black Hawk is still closed to vehicle traffic and there are still logs and other debris on the roads in some places. I saw a few people out walking there and even one guy at the rifle range. That's a long walk from the main gate!

It's kinda nice being out there when no one else is around.

I rode through the park and then took the trails into Island Park and downtown Cedar Falls. It was a good ride on a beautiful day. How long do you think this weather will last?

State CX at Altoona on Saturday then Devil's Cross in Bettendorf. The season is starting to wind down. Middle Park Madness on the 22nd then Jingle Cross and it will all be over. It's been fun this year.

That's about it for now.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-11-03T20:36:00.022-06:00

Spooky Cross day 2

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-11-02T20:10:00.023-06:00

Spooky Cross Day 1, part 1....

Ring those cow bulls....

Robin Williams navigates the mud....

Darcy and Cara....

Yup, more mud....

Batgirl....

It was deep, too....

Out of the mudpit then uphill in the peanut butter....

Scott Sumpter....

Brian Eppen on the run-up....

It's all good....

Renegade crossgirls....

Look over your shoulder, Brent....

More Halloween merriment....

Gotta have some fun....

Ghost or Goblin....?

Brian Abbott....

Jackal....

Steve and Chad....

Paul Meyerman....

I'll post more pics from the 3's and the Masters later. Judy and I both took a lot of pics and they take awhile to choose....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-11-01T21:11:00.001-06:00

Spooky Cross....

Escape....

It was good!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-10-27T20:53:00.022-05:00

Cattle Cross....

Trouble....

Yeah, that's cow poop....

Kim....

John....

Steve Bullerman....

Steve Reynolds....

Scottie....

Fat Bastard....

Kat....

WTF....?

Karmen....

Shrek....

Brent....

Shrek....

The winner....!

Lane Anderson.....

Ummmmm......

Oakley Rob Versteegh.....

It was awesome. A great time! I loved it. Even the poop.

Ya done good, Brent! :)

Thanks Judy, for helping with the pics!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-10-26T21:19:00.028-05:00

Things....

The Ergon Man Midwest....
Look Ma, no hands....

Jackal....

The Queen of Cross says "Cool"....

Lots of red....

GO!

Yeah, it hurts....

The Queen and her (fat) carriage....

Scottie D....

Brian Eppen....

Steve Bullerman....

Richard Gilmore....

Steve after the runup. Yeah, he won....

Ouch....

Eppen coming around....

Jackal climbing....

Landon climbing....

Scott climbing....

Remount....

John....

Really....?

Steve wondering what he got himself into....

3 Musk-rat-ears....

Jackal....

The Corpulent One....

Yummmmmmm....

These pics, with the exception of the first two, are from Psychlofest in Bettendorf on the 25th. It was good!

Cattle Cross pics tomorrow....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-10-26T06:33:00.003-05:00

Survived....

Colorbiotics put on their first CX race on Saturday at the fairgrounds in Marshalltown. Wicked. :) It had rained around these parts for several days and the course had a bit of mud involved. Also a trip through an exibition hall with cow poop and sand. It was good! Plus, the girls rode at dusk and the fast guys raced after dark. It was sweet! What a great race! Kudos to Brent Hauser and all of his helpers and volunteers. Ya done good! I finished pretty close to DFL.

Sunday was Psychlofest at Crow Creek Park in Bettendorf. The course would have been tough even if it hadn't rained for several days prior to the event. It was awesome! Lots of wet, muddy grass and soft ground. The runup was killer. Steep and muddy and, just for kicks, it turned to the left and got even steeper about 2/3 of the way up. I swear that you almost scraped your nose climbing it! The folks from DICE over there in the Quad Cities always put on a great event! No disappointment with this one. DFL.

It was good.

Spooky CX in Des Moines next weekend.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-10-22T18:48:00.003-05:00

The weather sucks for riding....

The Queen of Cross says it's windy in Florida....
Last night before the rain came....

As the rain started....

Went out at about 5:45 or so last night for an hour and a half on the Surly 1x1. I was planning to meet The Corpulent One as he got back from a longer ride but, as it turned out, I didn't see anyone who looked like him. When I got to Big Woods it started to rain. It had been one of those thick fall mists up to that point, which turned into a drizzle, then a light shower. If it had been a July afternoon it probably would have been comfortable and welcome. Since it was a November evening it was neither. Well, it wasn't bad. Nah, actually, it was ok, since I was riding the bike outside rather than riding a bike in the basement.

Anyway, I took a few laps around the lake, just in case. There were a couple of women out walking their dogs on their 10' leashes and, of course, the leashes crossed the trail with the dogs in the grass. I never could figure out why it works that way. It was dark and wet and they were walking their dogs.... Hmmmm.... Ahhh well, the things we do for our pets:)

After I'd been out for awhile and decided that I wasn't going to meet Fatty, I headed home through Cedar Falls. I saw that The Thin Man's light was on inside the shop so I stopped to visit for a few minutes. It was good! He was getting ready to leave to go eat so I hit the road and headed home. I was definitely wet and cold and covered in mud. Probably good training for what's coming this weekend. CX in Marshalltown on Saturday, which I'm sure is going to be very, very muddy. It's all good! CX in Bettendorf on Sunday. Yup, it's raining there too.... I suspect that the hills around the Quad Cities are going to drain a little better than the race track at the fairgrounds in Marshalltown. :) I'm excited! Both will be GREAT venues.

I guess I got off track there.... After I got home and stripped out of my soaking wet clothes and dried off, I turned my 'puter on. Whoa! An email from Fatty! He started to ride but decided it was going to rain so he beat feet home ahead of the rain and drank beer. I guess he's smarter than I am, eh? I missed you, Buddy!

Jackal and Moo are still in Florida for a couple more days but Moo sent me the pic of The Queen as she was heading to the beach this morning. It was apparently a bit windy down there on the ocean! :)

That's it for now.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-10-20T12:43:00.004-05:00

Altoona....

Thanks to Fatty for the pic....

Altoona was good on both days. I had Fatty with me on Saturday, so that required a bit of effort to keep him out of trouble. Lions Park, which was the same venue as the Iowa State CX Championships last year. The course itself was quite similar with just a couple of small changes. Lots of climbing in the soft grass. It was good!

Sunday was cold for our race at the Youth Sports Complex in Altoona and the wind was blowing at a bit over 20mph all day. It did warm up in the afternoon but that wind was just BROOTAL! Very difficult course. I'd say the most physically demanding course so far this year. Whoa!

Anyway, it was all good.

A couple more DFL's to keep the streak alive. WOOHOO!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-10-16T18:59:00.000-05:00

....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-10-15T19:09:00.006-05:00

Thursday....

The new lights at Gateway....
Big Woods Lake....

Darned beavers....

Surly....

Kids flag football in a drizzling rain....

It was good. A bit wet, but good. Started a steady drizzle when I was about 3 miles from home....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-10-14T20:26:00.003-05:00

Nite ride....

My baby....
New lights along the trail at Gateway....

Wish I had a pic of Fatty shitfaced. I only have buzzed. We'll see.... ;)

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-10-12T19:38:00.021-05:00

Vande Cross....

Fatty buzzed....
The fast guys....

Fatty buzzed....

The Queen of Cross....

Fatty buzzed....

Look at all the red....

Masters....

More....

Jackal....

Tough course....

Kat....

Steve....

Fast guys passing....

Steve....

John....

Richard and Scott....

Paul M. and Kat....

Landon....

Scott....

Richard....

Yes, I'm taking this serious.... (There's beer involved)

Sunday in the Quad Cities.... Moline, to be exact. Stephens Park. One of the best courses of the year. These guys put on a good race that is a blast to attend. Bruce Grell and the folks from DICE really treat you like you belong.... Great bunch of people with an obvious love of the sport!

It was a blast. Fatty challenged me via text message with an offer of beer if I put forth an effort this week. Damn! Guinness was being offered.... I rode with a bit more intensity than usual and only stopped a couple of times to chat. I had to talk to Karmen and of course I had to stop to talk to my sweetie, The Queen of Cross. She was doing handups for me. She was surprised last week in Pella when I stopped to take the bottle. "Daddy doesn't stop...." Ahhhh well. This week she seemed surprised when I took it on the fly. Gotta keep her on her toes, ya know! The Masters field totalled 21 riders, 10 in the 30+ and 40+ group and 11 in the 50+ and 60+ group. Me, I finished. Good showing, too. DFL!!!!! I think there were 10 riders from Bike Tech in attendance yesterday. Lot's of red out on course.

The 1/2/3 group raced at the same time as the Masters and I had a front row seat to watch the really, really fast guys. Wow! Brian Eppen put on a clinic, as usual. Nate, Jackal, and Kevin were tearing it up. It was good. Jackal had a 3rd place finish. Like Mark Guthart said "Podium, Podium, WOOHOO!" Steve Bullerman won the Masters 30+ class and John and Landon tore it up in the 50+ and 60+ categories. I'm sure I missed something or someone.... OOPS!

Thanks to Fatty, Moo, Chris, Queenie, and all of the Bike Tech crew for the heckling, er, I mean support out there. That's what makes it so much fun!

Thanks to Brittany, Robin, and Wanda for heckling me by the sand pile. Yes, Brittany, I was smiling!

Thanks to Bruce Grell and the DICE club and all of their volunteers for putting this show on the road. Can't forget Scott the referee. It was good!

Thanks to Judy for all the pics. Ya done good, Sweetie!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-10-10T12:25:00.005-05:00

Nice day....

30 F. when i rode this morning. 31 F. an hour and 50 minutes later when I got back home. Surly. Have I ever mentioned that I love that bike? :)

CX in Moline tomorrow. Gonna be good. Fatty is trying to challenge me to be less "social" during the race and perhaps even get serious about it. He's offered up a pretty good prize. I dunno.... :)

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-10-07T17:38:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday....

The Queen of Cross turned 3 today. Happy birthday, Sweetie!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-10-05T20:05:00.028-05:00

WTF?

Look at Sunday's forecast....

The Dirty Wooden Shoe....

Fatty and Jackal.... Jackal jumpin'....
Jackal's unique trophy....
Steve Reynolds focused....

Paul Meyerman having a blast!

The Julies.... Women's start....

Robin....

Lisa....

Darcy....

Steve....

Fatty with a buzz on....

Brent Hauser.... That hill was wet during OUR race, buddy.

Jerome "Shrek" Rewerts....

Brent "I need carbs" Hauser....

Steve and Jackal....

Steve chasing Kim West down....

All alone and in last place.... :)

Scottie....

Paul is a good sport having a good time....

This hurts....

Julie "The Multi Tasker" Goodman....

"Are you kidding me?"....

Saturday found us in Pella, Iowa for their First Annual Dirty Wooden Shoe cyclocross event. The course was wet and tough when we started. Awesome! I think everyone had a good time. Some of the organizers were worried about how the course would be received by the racers since this was their first experience promoting this type of event. Not to worry. It was great.

When we arrived Steve and Chris were already there getting ready for the first race of the day and taking care of Fatty. Yeah, my little buddy was already into the sauce. At least he's fairly well behaved.... A tribute to his parents, I'm sure.

The Cat 3 men and the Masters raced first while the course was still wet. Plenty of tight. technical stuff as well as a couple nice long stretches where the fast guys could get up and go. I did my best to stay out of everyones way during the race. It was good! Steve got a solid second place in the Masters 35+ race and Jackal won the mens Cat 3 event. Me? I finished. :) It was good!

Paul Meyerman was there racing in the 4's and looking like he was having a great time. Ask him about his "YouTube moment" that I failed to get on camera. It was good!

The Julies were there livening things up for the racers and spectators. Julie Goodman was doing water bottle handups, heckling, drinking wine, and taking pictures all at the same time. Good job!

Judy was out and about all over the course heckling, supporting, and taking pics. Thanks, Sweetie!

The Queen of Cross was doing handups for me. She was a little surprised when I stopped for the bottle rather than rolling on through and taking it on the fly like daddy does. :) Too cute!

Fatty was there with his cowbell taking instructions from The Queen of Cross on how to behave at a CX race. Ya done good buddy. Heck, he even took a couple of pics with my camera and didn't even drop it in his beer. Rumor has it that he slept all the way home. Ahhhh well. It's all good.

A big Thank-You to the organizers and volunteers. Ya done good! We'll be back next year, for sure.

Thanks to Fatty for coming down and harassing the crap out of me.

Quad Cities next weekend.... :) Always a good time over there!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-09-27T21:38:00.003-05:00

CX....

Steve and me encouraging The Jackal....
Steve and me....

Jackal....

We took a lot of pics this weekend.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-09-24T20:17:00.001-05:00

Waterloo Gryphons....

Yeah, this goes back a couple of years (2002 or 2003?). I miss those days of travel hockey. It was fun!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-09-23T19:34:00.005-05:00

Wednesday....

Things I saw on my ride tonight....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-09-20T12:39:00.006-05:00

Cx starts next week....

Just off North Hackett....
West end of Mannat Lake....

Shirey Way. What's going on here?

Hmmm....

I'm stumped....

Michigander balls....

Nice ride this morning.

What's going on in Hartman North with Shirey Way? It's been graded recently. Strange. It's been double track through there for years. I can't believe there's been a maintainer through there in over 20 years.... I hope they aren't planning to open it to vehicle traffic. It's one of the few quiet places left around here.

There were a lot of people out riding and walking this morning. A lot of Burleys being pulled. I saw Super as I was leaving Big Woods near Main. He said something about having to maintain his "endurance" heart rate for 2 1/2 hours.... We talked while riding for a couple of minutes, then he was gone.

Anyway, the leaves are on the verge of changing. I think it'll be a beautiful fall. It's my favorite time of year!

CX starts next weekend in Des Moines with the Capitol City Cross races. It should be good!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-09-16T06:56:00.012-05:00

A lot has been happening....

The Iowa State Gravel Road Racing Championships sponsored by Bike Tech took place last Saturday in the hills around New Hartford.

Sadly, the weiner dogs didn't make an appearance. There is a herd of about 8 weiner dogs that live at one of the farms along the race course that like to split up and hide in the ditches on either side of the road and then chase cyclists as they roll by. Not this day. Too bad.

The race? It's a 6 mile loop that is all hills. They may not be huge, by Colorado standards, but they are thigh burning lung busters just the same. There were some really fast guys there. And, of course, one really slow guy. That would be me. It hurt. A lot. But it was a ton of fun. It was a very well organized, well run event. Kudos to the crew! You done good! Congrats to the Bike Tech folks who brought home the hardware. Kat, John, Landon, Richard..... Whoa! Sweet!

Yesterday was our annual trip to Chicago for the big print show. It wasn't all that big this year due to the economy, I suppose. Ahhh well. It will get better.

Dinner at Shaw's in downtown Chicago. I always enjoy eating there. A few Goose Island 312's before dinner then blackened yellowfin tuna with red beans and rice and mashed sweet taters. Excellent! Ahhhh...... :)

Downtown skyline from the interstate....
The Chicago Theater....

Lunch menu....

Shaw's.... "The King of Crab"....

Hubbard and State....

The subway....

The Red Line....

On the way home....

Chicago....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-09-11T07:05:00.002-05:00

Friday....

Today is Patriot's Day. (It has nothing to do with the football team) It's also the 8th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon.

Take a moment to reflect.

Where have we been? Where are we going.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-09-07T16:28:00.003-05:00

Labor Day....

Cornfields and bicycles....
The hydrant....

Windmill parts....

Well, the 3 day weekend is quickly coming to a close. The weather has been beautiful and I was able to get some riding and paddling in. It was good! Trip to Hudson and back on the C50 this afternoon, 2 1/2 hours on Big Woods Lake yesterday.

Just had a visit from the Bike Tech crew on their way back from Colesburg. John, Kat, and Paul M. stopped by to chat for a minute. Sounds like they had some good racin' over there. Sweet! Also heard that The Corpulent One had a top 10 finish.

Need to re-hydrate.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-09-06T14:44:00.002-05:00

Sunday....

Pretty in pink....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-09-03T09:28:00.003-05:00

NEW School prayer :

Now I sit me down in school, Where praying is against the rule

For this great nation under God, Finds mention of Him very odd.

If Scripture now the class recites, It violates the Bill of Rights.

And anytime my head I bow, Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green, That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.

The law is specific, the law is precise. Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall Might offend someone with no faith at all.

In silence alone we must meditate, God's name is prohibited by the state.

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks, And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks..

They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible. To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen, And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.

It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong, We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong.

We can get our condoms and birth controls, Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.

But the Ten Commandments are not allowed, No word of God must reach this crowd.

It's scary here I must confess, When chaos reigns the school's a mess.

So, Lord, this silent plea I make: Should I be shot; My soul please take!

Amen

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-09-02T20:12:00.005-05:00

South....

Brighter than the sun....

My cell rang about 5 minutes after I walked in the door from work tonight. Fatty. Ride to Hudson? Sure, meet you at 63 and Ridgeway. Cool.

He wouldn't even let me get in his draft after he pummeled me out on the trail. Kicked my ass. It was good. Thanks, Buddy.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-09-02T11:16:00.000-05:00

My Little Fat Buddy....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-08-31T15:59:00.005-05:00

On a happier note....

Congratulations are in order for my little fat buddy, Fat Albert, AKA: Jeremy Fry. He put himself on the podium in Lincoln, Nebraska this weekend by finishing their 140 mile gravel grinder in 3rd place with a time of 9 hours, o minutes. Good job, DOOD!

There were several other Iowans, including David Pals, G-Ted, and Steve Fuller, tearing up the Nebraska gravel along with The Corpulent One. Good on ya, guys!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-08-31T06:53:00.005-05:00

ENOUGH!!!!!

Read the article linked below, watch the video, start writing letters to your representatives. Google "Iowa Cyclist Killed" Read the articles. Geez.

Riding safely isn't enough. It seems that every cyclist has a target on his or her back. There appears to be a hatred of cyclists out there and it's getting worse. Drivers do not want us on the roads. They don't want to fulfill their obligation to pay attention while driving and to watch out for us. Many think that the interior of the car or truck is the surrogate office or bathroom. Phones, application of make up, reading the paper or a book. Yes, I saw a guy reading the paper while driving as I left work last Wednesday.

I suggest training law enforcement so that they understand the laws as they relate to cyclists, then get them out and enforce those laws.

Perhaps the speed limit on county roads needs to be reduced to 45 mph? And strictly enforced.

So frustrated.

Killing cyclists is not ok.

http://www.bikeiowa.com/asp/hotnews/newsdisplay.asp?NewsID=4076

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-08-30T15:24:00.017-05:00

Gravel goodness....

West on 12th....
3010 Diesel, Straight out of the '60s....

North on S....

Beaver Creek west of New Hartford....

Into the New Hartford hills.....

Parkersburg in the distance....

North on Spring Avenue....

Small climb....

New Hartford....

Target....

The iron bridge at Butler and Westbrook is gone....

It was 52F when I left the house this morning. Just a breeze from the NW. Grand Boulevard is open now so I headed that way and then out of town on 12th Street to hit up some gravel. The maintainer has been out in Black Hawk County so the roads are covered with loose gravel until you hit Butler Road. Once through the intersection at Butler and 12th you are out of Black Hawk county and the roads are perfect. I went to the end of 12th then rode the Stout blacktop for a further 2 miles before going north again to Westbrook. Then it was back to the west to R Avenue and then north again to the New Hartford hills. I had stopped for a couple of minutes on the north side of the tracks at Ridge Avenue and Hwy 57 to stretch and pee when a farm wife and her grandson stopped to ask if everything was alright. I had layed my bike down beside the road and they thought I'd taken a spill. It was nice of them to stop and check!

Anyway, I crossed Beaver Creek and headed up the hill and over, then it was east into the hills for the trip to New Hartford. If the county doesn't do any maintenance out there for the next couple of weeks those roads are going to be PERFECT for the State Gravel Road Race on the 12th. All I can say is SWEET!!!

I made my way through the hills then into New Hartford where I continued east on Diagonal back to Westbrook. As soon as I crossed back into Black Hawk County the roads had been graded again along with new rock in some places. I hate loose gravel but it does make you a better bike handler. You take what you get, I guess.

I had 40 miles on the computer when I got back home. It was about 61F by then. A great day for riding.

Should have taken my camera to Toad's today. Chili Dog Supreme. OMG! It was GOOD! Jalapenos, cheese, and onions on top of a bowl filled with chili over a hot dog in a bun. Excellent!

That's about it for now. Enjoy the day!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-08-23T15:28:00.010-05:00

Cool and calm....

Hitch-hiker....

There's a butterfly on my shoulder.

Super Saul....
I love this bike....

???

Black Hawk Park....

Heading north....

A bit of mud....

Greasy....

Tall corn on Ford Road....

Beans as far as the eye can see....

I rode the CX bike yesterday on a "pedal through the parks" ride. Ran into Super on the east side of Big Woods. He'd been out for awhile, I was just getting started. Lot's of users out on the trails yesterday. It was almost dangerous. Ah well....

Rode the Surly this morning. It was about 50F when I left the house. Arm warmers and a base layer. BEAUTIFUL! I went out along the dike behind the Cattle Congress grounds then around East Lake and up through Wyth to Gateway. Not so many trail users this morning but those that were out were s-l-o-w rollers. Mostly seniors just rolling along enjoying the weather. It was good.

I headed out to Black Hawk then took the trail up to Washington Access. I wasn't in there at all last year due to the high water. It is all ridable this year but, if you go out there, be careful. There are a lot 2 or 3 inch limbs across the riding track and a lot of them are hidden and at a diagonal to the direction of travel. Once you get past Cornelious's Pond there is a section under the power lines where the grass is about 3 feet tall for 50 yards or so and the trail through it is almost indiscernable. Once past that there are several sections with standing water and mud. It's good!

I exited onto C57 at the Access and headed east to Ford Road, then south on the gravel. I met two vehicles prior to Washington Chapel and was passed by two cars south of there. All of them slowed down while meeting or passing me and all of them waved, which just reinforces my opinion that it usually isn't the farmers who buzz cyclists out on the county and gravel roads. There is an unwritten form of etiquitte out in the country and those that don't follow it aren't from the country. Prove me wrong....

Anyway, this weekend has been awesome as far as the weather goes. Clear skies with highs in the low to mid 70's and lows in the upper 40's. It doesn't get any better than that!

It seems like summer is winding down. CX is just around the corner. I seem to have lost most of the little bit of fitness I had earlier in the year. I rode the trainer all winter and started the outdoor season in fair shape. We'll see how it goes.... Lanterne Rouge, baby.... :) It's all good!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-08-15T16:47:00.014-05:00

Saturday Gravel....

North on Ford Road....
Llamas and the like....

Marquis Road west of Janesville....

Where's the Swamp Thing....?

Old wooden bridge....

Ends at the Shell Rock River....

Barn on Taylor Road....

Kayaks on the Cedar....

Someone left their mark....

I left about 10 this morning for a bit of gravel. It was about 70F or so and was going to get warmer. The winds were light when I left but would increase before I got back home. No incidents or altercations with dogs today, which was nice. Just 2 issues with cars heading north into Janesville on Center Street after leaving the gravel. They just can't wait 3 seconds to pass you when there is oncoming traffic.

At Janesville it was west on Marquis to the Shell Rock River. No bridge there anymore and looks as though it's been gone for a very long time. I don't get up that way very often. Wow.

It was a good ride. The wind picked up considerably on the way back home. Headwind. Poop. Good thing I'm back to building base miles for the 2nd time this year. ;) 40 miles today. I'm a hurtin', baby! LOL.

It just hasn't been a good year for me and the bicycle. Too many other things going on. It's all good.

Thunderstorms in the forecast for tomorrow. I may go paddle a bit this afternoon. We'll see.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Check this out. Kinda reminds me of The Thin Man....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-08-10T06:41:00.012-05:00

Twilight Crit....

Louis Sullivan architecture in downtown Grinnell....
The Hurt Train....
String 'em out....

Up the hill....

Steve "Just pay me now" Reynolds winning the prime....

Brent Hauser....

Fast....

Willie sandwiched in Turn 1....

More Turn 1 action....

Moritz chasing....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-08-09T18:40:00.000-05:00

Grinnell....

Plenty more pics to follow.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-08-08T08:57:00.004-05:00

Saturday....

I got up early this morning hoping to go for a nice easy ride but was a bit disappointed with the weather forecast. Thunderstorms all morning. Crap. There is a bit of thunder and lightning going on right now, along with some rain. Nothing severe, by any means. Just enough to disrupt plans. The forecast is also calling for a high temp today of 91F with heat indexes approaching 110. Nice.

So, here I sit, surfing the net while eating Fritos and drinking coffee for breakfast. Maybe I'll find my glasses and start reading "Dandelion Wine".

The Twilight Criterium is scheduled to take place in Grinnell this afternoon and evening and I know that Jackal is planning to race there. The Cedar Trails Festival's night ride through the parks is also supposed to take place this evening in Cedar Falls, but who knows whether or not that will happen? They have to set out several thousand white paper bag luminaries over about 7 miles of trail then go back around and light them all. It's a really neat annual event but I have my doubts about it happening this year. Bummer.

Due to higher priority issues and a lot of travel this year my riding and training have been very erratic without a lot of quality time in the saddle. My fitness isn't horrible and I've put in quite a few miles on the bike, but I'm just not where I'd expected to be by now. I think I'm going to go back to the beginning and start building base miles again. I know that August is a strange time of year for that but, well, whatcha gonna do? :) It's all good.

I still plan to "ride" all of the CX races this year but I suspect that I'll be vying for the title of "Lanterne Rouge" again. Perhaps "Clown Prince of Iowa Cyclocross"? It's always good to have a backup plan, eh?

For me, it's all about having fun and spending time with friends!

That's it for now. Enjoy your Saturday.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-08-06T18:00:00.029-05:00

Yesterday's ride....

If ya gotta' go....
The Cedar in Waterloo....

Black Hawk Park pond....

The Cedar in Cedar Falls....

Rail bridge in Cedar Falls....

Abandoned fire plug at Washington Park....

Shelter at Washington Park Golf Course....

Warning!

First fairway at Washington....

Ninth green....

Washington Park clubhouse....

I got up early yesterday and rode with Jackal out to the plant. I didn't go to work, I just rode with him. It was good. Quiet, cool, and peaceful. After I'd left him, I rode through all the parks.... Hoing-Rice, Cedar Bend, around East Lake, Wyth, Gateway, Big Woods, Black Hawk, Island, Tourist, Washington, Pfeiffer, Hartmann Reserve. Did I miss any? 30 miles at a very slow pace. 2 hours.

A lot has been made of the "Cash for Clunkers" program lately. The Fed has put up a billion dollars so far to give rebates of $3500 to $4500 dollars if you trade your "gas guzzler" in for a more fuel efficient vehicle. That's a kind of tricky statement because the vehicle you purchase must get better mileage than the one that is being traded in. Your old Suburban that gets 17 mpg for a new Hummer that gets 18. Granted, you only get $3500 back from the Fed for that trade, but you still get the cash. The first billion is already spent and they are attempting to gain access to another two billion to continue this wildly successful program. (note sarcasm) Update: More money has been approved within the last hour.

The problem that I have with this is that the Fed gets it's money from you and me, and anyone else who actually pays taxes. I have a problem with my tax dollars being used to incent people to buy new cars through a taxpayer funded rebate program. I also suspect that the financial instutions that are lending the money for these new vehicles are getting at least some of their money from our taxes through the "bailout" that the government recently performed. It's being touted as an "environmental" program but, in reality, it's the government using our money simply to get people to buy new cars. It's a short term "stimulus" package that will stop "stimulating" when the government money runs out and people stop buying new cars and trucks. The money that was used for the bailout was borrowed from places like China. It will someday have to be payed back. Who's going to make those payments? We are. You and me. And our children and grandchildren. Unless the U.S. Government repudiates it's (our) debt. That's another story though, too ugly to contemplate. I hope this game goes better than the housing loan practices that helped put us in the situation that we currently find ourselves in.

In my opinion the money would be better spent on things like libraries. If this were the case people could go to these libraries and learn things that are no longer taught in our "politically correct" schools or at home.

Things like history and civics, government and social studies. They could read authors who write about honesty and integrity or authors whose writings could teach personal responsibility or personal accountability. Perhaps they would read authors who write about making your way in the world by learning a trade or skill and applying it to a real job that brings in an income. Heck, there are even books with stories about morality and how to get along with others in a community situation. Ethics in journalism or, perhaps, economics. Authors who write about not spending more than you earn. How about learning how to effectively participate in participatory representative government? The neat thing about the Public Library is that it's free to it's users. Free education. A good use of my tax dollars. All you need is the desire and initiative to use it. There is no limit to what you can learn there....

The most important thing that could be learned at these libraries is how to think. Once you have learned to think you will have the ability to see things as they really are and to make educated decisions on your own, rather than having the media or the government do it for you. Imagine the power you would posess if given the ability to think for yourself. The possibilities are nearly endless....

I suspect that this is simply wishful thinking. It would require effort on the part of the people who want something better. The problem, as I see it, is that the people who want something better do not want to put forth the effort to earn it. We've become fat and lazy. We've become complacent. We've developed the attitude that "if it doesn't affect me directly, I don't care."

I also suspect that the idea of an educated electorate scares a politician more than anything else in the world.

"How wonderful for governments that the people they administer do not think" ~~ Adolph Hitler

Just sayin'

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-08-02T11:20:00.002-05:00

Sunday....

Someone fishin' on a cool Sunday morning....

Took a short, easy ride out around Big Woods this morning. Sunny and 60 F. It was nice. Clears the head....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-07-30T09:49:00.001-05:00

History Lesson....

Rare photo of the 1940 Tour de France

Thanks, Brownie.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-07-28T21:13:00.000-05:00

Tuesday....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-07-24T06:45:00.002-05:00

Yesterday....

Nice ride last night. Poor Tony flatted after crossing Hudson Road on the way out of town. That sucks. He went back home while the rest of the group continued on. It happens.

Good seeing you, Fatty!

I rode up to Janesville and then back to Cedar Falls with Kat and John. They had already ridden 40 miles yesterday prior to the group ride. Added another 30 last night. Thanks for pulling me around.

Not much else going on. Heading back to Phoenix for a couple of days tomorrow. Flying this time. 3 hours in a plane compared to 30 in the car. Hmmm.... Judy and I definitely had a good time driving down there in June. It was fun.

Have a great weekend.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-07-19T15:08:00.002-05:00

I dig pink, but....

....a pink excavator? Whoaaaaa.......

Rode the Hudson/Orange loop solo this morning after watching le Tour. What wind that did exist was out of the west and gave me a little push toward the Eagle Center intersection from Hudson. Beyond that, it was not a factor at all. 68F. Awesome! Speaking of Hudson, they had their Hudson Days celebration this weekend. Judging from the looks of the main drag I would say that they partied rather hearty last night. Tis the season for the small town celebrations. ;) Good stuff.

The pink excavator is a rental at Mid Country Machinery just south of Waterloo. Might be a bit much, eh? I picture some big ole manly-man with a 12 pack belly and 3 days growth climbing out of that thing at lunchtime on some jobsite. Pretty good, eh? S'pose his buddies would give him any guff? LOL.

The tour stage today was pretty good. The mountains certainly sort things out! No spoilers here, just in case someone reading this hasn't watched it yet. I just wish that Versus would get over the Lance worship.

That's it for now. May go paddle a bit this afternoon.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-07-18T21:37:00.004-05:00

Wisconsin....

Yes. This road goes to the cemetary....
Sunset near Manchester....

Judy and I drove over to Beetown, Wisconsin today to look for her ancestors. Didn't find them. We did find 20 miles of newly paved Mississippi Valley road. If you aren't familiar with eastern Iowa and western Wisconsin's terrain near the Mississippi you're missing out. It's like a little mountain range. Hills. Sweet. I should have taken my road bike. I could have ridden the 22 miles from Beetown to Dickeyville while Judy traipsed through cemetaries. Next time.

Ah well.... Hope those out on the GTDRI are having fun. 110 miles of NE Iowa gravel goodness. Same kind of mini mountains that we drove through in Wisconsin today, except they're on the other side of the river in Iowa. And they're gravel, of course. Lung searing, thigh burning climbs. Sketchy descents. Perhaps a bit of Stranahan's? Ya never know, do ya?

Have a great rest of the weekend.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-07-14T21:43:00.004-05:00

Cupcake....

Fatty eating....
Fatty thinking about eating....

Fatty eating....

Fatty thinking about eating....

Fatty was eating something from a bag that looked like miniature frosting covered cupcakes. No idea what they were. Not sure he knew what they were. He'll eat anything. Anytime. That's why he's fat. And that's why they call him Cupcake. Well, that and a couple of other reasons.... ;)

Group ride was good. The wind sucked on the way back. I rode the CX bike with no intention of going out on the group ride. Once I got to the shop Fatty shamed me into it. My legs still hurt from Sunday. It was probably good for me though.

Kat is back from Colorado. I thought we were going to make it a short ride and then roll back together but she was with the fast guys and I never saw her again after Beaver Valley. Looking fit after the Firecracker 50 and the Triple Bypass out in Colorado. She's prepping for leadville. Wicked fast.

I think I put the hurt on Fatty on the roll out to Union Road. I could hear him behind me moaning and groaning.... What can I say? Poop happens, Buddy :)

That's all for now.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-07-13T21:27:00.007-05:00

Nice day....

The Queen of Cross....
Go Gophers....

Calm water....

Cool clouds....

A kid with a dog and a skateboard....

This is blog post number 601. I don't even remember when I started but I do know that Jackal and Kerkove had blogs and I wanted to comment on them so I started my own. Lots of things happen in 4 or 5 years.... Meet lots of great people!

It turned out to be a very nice day today. I took the kayak out to Big Woods Lake for awhile after work then came home and mowed the lawn. It's all good!

Group ride tomorrow, if it isn't storming. Seems like we've had a lot of that lately. Not much that you can do about it. We had a big one last Thursday night/Friday morning. I slept through it. Darn.

Ah well....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-07-12T17:50:00.002-05:00

Bikes, Blues, and BBQ....

Goose Island give-away. Good!!!!

Great racing up at Clear Lake, Iowa this weekend. What did I learn? Simple. I need to ride with the fast guys on the group rides until I get dropped, then go back the next time and do it again. And again.

I raced the Masters 50+ rr today. I knew I'd get dropped at some point and then I'd be riding alone. 42 miles. I figured they'd finish in an hour and 50 minutes or so. I'd do it in 2:30. Well, I did it in 2:20, so I'm pretty happy with that. Plus, I stayed with my group for over 12 miles. I was definitely pleased with that! Remember, I hadn't done a road race in over 20 years, until this year. I had fun. Suffering in the rollers and wind by oneself usually isn't a lot of fun, but today wasn't bad. The miles just clicked by.... A little wind, a few sprinkles of rain, and temps in the 70's.

Anyway, I have things to put away. More later.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-07-09T19:36:00.002-05:00

Group Ride....

Chasing on 3rd Street....
The Belgian National Champ and friends....

Very short ride for me tonite. Physically I feel fine. Mentally, I'm beat. Long story. It's all good.

Ride safe.

Peace out, Yo!

2009-07-06T06:55:00.003-05:00

Cedar Rapids....

We spent the day in Cedar Rapids yesterday for the Iowa State Criterium Championships. It was a beautiful day with a great course and some awesome racing. Saw a lot of old friends and stood there and listened while Jackal told my buddy Brent Hauser that "the reason everyone knows my dad is because he has a big mouth". Wow! That was the compliment of lifetime! Thanks!!! :)

On a more serious note: All of the racing was good. And very fast. It was a 6/10 of a mile rectangle on 2nd and 3rd Avenues which crossed the Cedar at Mays Island twice. Pretty flat and very fast. There were a few crashes in the 4's race, which didn't surprise me because the riders were very close and intense. I thought it was starting to get a bit ugly in the final laps when people started crowding each other. Group sprint finish behind one solo break-away rider. Good stuff! Jackal led a few times and was looking pretty good throughout the race. I think 40 started and 30 or so finished. Fast pace from the start that never slowed down.

Landon and Richard did a good job of representing Bike Tech in the Masters 50+ race, as did Mike Johnson in the 4's race. Good job, guys!

The pro/1/2 race was intense right down to the wire. The group of 5 that broke away actually lapped the rest of the field with 2 to go. Thought that might hold the lead group back in the confusion at the end but with one to go the leaders all got through the pack and sprinted it out. Very close finish with Brian Eppen taking the win on his single speed. Can you say IMPRESSIVE? Wow! He had just won the single speed race an hour before, right after he'd taken 2nd in the Masters 35+ race. 3 races, 2 victories and a 2nd place. Awesome!

That's about it for now. Pics will be added later. Hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-07-04T19:03:00.009-05:00

Happy Independence Day....

Small town Iowa 4th of July....
The Queen of Cross....

Supper at Z's....

Test ride....

East Lake from the dike....

Hanging around....

I went to the Shop at lunch time on Thursday, just to say hi. The Thin Man was putting brake levers on his Transition so I asked if he was getting ready to put it on the road. "Nope, I sold it". Whoa! Along with his Zipp 404's and a new carbon Ruby for the guy's wife. Pretty good day! The guy who bought it said he was tired of getting beat by the girls in the triathlons and wanted a faster bike. Sounds like a motor issue to me.... Oh well. He got a very nice bike! Hope it works out for him.

While I was there Chris asked if I was going on the group ride Thursday night. I told him no, I was still hurting from Tuesday's solo effort after being away from the bike for 2 weeks. He seemed a bit disappointed. Hmmmm.....

We went back to work and after I'd left for home at the end of the day I decided to ride the C-50 for awhile, rather than the CX bike. I ended up at the shop at 6 and Chris talked me into the group ride. It was good. Very mellow. The entire group left together and kept the pace sane. I expected the first attacks to come after crossing 1st Street on Union Road, but it didn't happen. Double paceline at about 19 mph going north on Union. Wow! I took my pull with Craig and then dropped back. At that point Chris and I rolled at about 17-18 mph and continued north while the rest of the group headed west to Finchford. I must say that it was a great ride and that I'm glad I went. We rolled to Janesville then back south to Cedar Falls. I was still a little stiff from Tuesday and this ride was perfect to help straighten things out. I had ridden a bit before heading to the shop, so I ended the day with 35 miles in 2 hours. Perfect! Thanks, Chris!

Friday found Jackal and I heading south to Hudson at 8:30 in the morning. It was fairly cool and the winds were calm. When we got to Hudson we rode to the far end of town then back through on the main drag before heading back north on Ho Chi Minh. My legs were a bit stiff again when we left, but that passed quickly. We kept the speed at a pretty reasonable 17 mph or so. Once back on the bike path we headed to Cedar Falls and a trip through The Intersection of Death. We were crossing with the light when I heard Jackal say "red Trail Blazer right". I'd seen it and we continued through the intersection. Some young gal driving, talking to her friend in the passenger seat. She was going to do a "slow and go" right turn on red. She was almost on top of us when one of them noticed us and she stopped, wide eyed, with both hands covering her mouth and a look of terror on her face. We continued on across (very slowly, for effect...) while giving her the "look". I think she peed her pants, as she waited for the light to turn green before proceeding. Good stuff! Hopefully she'll pay attention the next time. All in all, a great ride. 25 miles.

Judy and I went out to breakfast this morning then just kinda piddled around for awhile before I went riding.

I went out around East Lake then up through the parks to Black Hawk and back. When I got back to Cedar Falls I decided to go back through the parks and around East Lake again on the way home. I met up with Steve Bullerman at the entrance to Wyth Park and we rode together to River View, where we said out good-byes and he went under the bridge while I went over and on toward home. The pace was a touch faster than I would have ridden if we hadn't met. It was really a nice ride. He was on his new Chili. Sweet bike!!!! Good seeing you, Steve!

Ended up with 30 miles this afternoon. Good stuff. It was raining this morning but pretty nice when I went out. Cloudy, but no rain. Jackal and Bottke did the Hudson route this morning between showers. There were quite a few families out riding today, as well as a few walkers.

If you haven't kept up with le Tour today, STOP HERE!!!!

After today's results in The Tour I would say that it will probably be an interesting race. 2 Liquigas riders in the top 10 and a 40 second gap between Cancellara and Lance. Yay! 18 seconds between Cancellara, who's leading, and Contador, who is in 2nd. We'll see how it plays out. FYI: I am not a Lance fan. He lost my respect long ago.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Good luck to those of you racing in the Firecracker 50 in Colorado and to those of you racing at the State Crit Championships tomorrow in Cedar Rapids. I'll be there watching and taking pictures.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-07-03T08:11:00.002-05:00

35 years ago today....

....at the 97th General Army Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany, Jackal was born.

Happy Birthday, Carl!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-07-01T06:32:00.003-05:00

Well....

I hadn't been on the bike in two weeks, until last night. I went home from work and changed clothes then spent some time on the CX bike.

I left the house and rode east then out around East Lake and through Wyth then stopped at the Shop before heading out around Big Woods and through Black Hawk. It looked like a pretty large group getting ready to head out on the Tuesday night group ride. All the fast guys were there. I passed.

I talked to The Thin Man for awhile and then headed back out to finish my ride. (Thanks for the butter, buddy) It was good! Low 70's and overcast. It was pretty windy last night but I was riding the bike paths through the parks, so that didn't really mean much to me. (It probably meant something to the guys out on the group ride....) A bit over 25 miles in an hour and 30 minutes. Not bad, for having been off the bike for so long. I feel it just a little this morning. :)

Today is my brother Brian's birthday. He's pretty old. Just sayin'....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-29T15:45:00.001-05:00

It's a girl, my Lord....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-27T23:54:00.009-05:00

Stopped for the night....

Scary handlebars....
Big Chief....

Weather station....

Old Route 66....

New Mexico....

Somewhere....

....over the rainbow.

We're at a Holiday Inn Express in Kansas tonight. The town we had planned to stay in is hosting a girl's softball tournament and there isn't a room available anywhere. None, ZIPP, nada. Reserve a room ahead of time? Ha! You don't know me very well. LOL.

This town is 24 miles down the road from the last one and they have some overflow from the tournament, plus 3 tour busses. Only two rooms available. King suites. Nice. I told the girl at the desk that it was more than I wanted to pay. She used my AARP discount and then discounted it even more to something more reasonable. (I would have taken it at the original asking price. I'm tired. Had to try.) It's the second time I've done that this trip. Santa Fe, New Mexico on the way south. Fairfield Inn. Pretty cool. It's always nice to save a few bucks. Judy won't go in with me when I ask for a room. LOL.

The first pic is outside the Veterans Hospital in Phoenix. One of the employee's bikes.

Second and third pics are somewhere in northern Arizona. The rest are in New Mexico. It's been fun. (The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th pics were taken by Judy.)

I discovered on this trip that Texans are still polite and that Oklahomans still love their excessivley large pick up trucks with ungodly loud exhausts. (It's been awhile since I've been to either state)

I haven't been on a bike since the 16th. I wonder if I'll remember how to ride?

Beddy bye time for me. Judy's already sleeping, though she isn't snoring yet.... :)

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-25T22:04:00.001-05:00

Plans....

We actually left Phoenix yesterday but came back last night. We're leaving in the morning, for sure. It's all good! :)

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-24T09:46:00.004-05:00

Time to go....

Cute, eh....?
The bar at Tortilla Flat....

Canyon Lake from above....

Judy and I drove out through Tortilla Flat yesterday, then up to the end of the paved road. It was 111F out there in the desert but it was fun. Stopped at an old mining town outside Apache Junction on the way back. Very enjoyable time. I rarely act like a tourist when we travel, but I did yesterday. It was kinda fun. (I know it's hard to imagine me acting stoopid...)

Spent yesterday evening at my Dad's visiting with him and Jean and my sister Susi and my niece, Coila, and her two boys. We grilled out and had a very good time. (lot's of veggies for me....) After dinner dad and I watched the Diamond Backs on the tube. It was great!

We're going to head back up north starting this morning after we visit my dad and Jean for awhile). I hate to leave, to be honest. Can't say I really enjoy Phoenix, but I do like visiting. Long story....

Anyway, that's it for now.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-23T00:46:00.005-05:00

Warm....

Bicycles, too....
Brother of Jackal and me with The Red Baron....

If I could fly any plane, the F4 would be it....

Flipping me off as a term of endearment....

It hit 112 about an hour after I took this pic....

It's been good down here in sunny Arizona. Judy and I did some sight-seeing around town after dark tonight. (Tom-Tom told me to go left when he really meant right) It was interesting. Washed the car down in the hood. That was interesting too.

We're going to run out to Tortilla Flats tomorrow morning, then go back over to visit my dad for awhile. Just had a message from my sis saying she was bringing steaks over to Dad's tomorrow and we'll grill. Mmmmmm..... I'm good with that.

I was worried about Fatty. I hadn't heard from him since last Thursday. I kept texting him on a regular basis but he didn't respond until today. All is well.... I'll be able to sleep tonight.

The heat is amazing down here. My mom always said "it's hot, yes, but it's a dry heat". I always responded to that with "yeah, like sticking your head in an oven". Well, I've learned that if you have a breeze it's even worse. It's like a blast furnace. Wow!

That's about it.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-22T09:18:00.006-05:00

Arizona....

Purple cactus....
Jackal and Moo with The Queen on the carousel....

Movie star....?

Pancho's Authentic Mexican Buffet....

Supposed to get up to 106F today. Nice! Getting ready to drive up to Scottsdale to pick up Brother of Jackal. The traffic is unbelievable.... You have to leave early to get where you're going on time. I'm not sure I could get used to this lifestyle. To each his or her own, I guess. :)

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-19T09:26:00.002-05:00

Santa Fe....

Not to be confused with Santa Claus.

Drove for awhile Wednesday night and ran into some weather in western Iowa. BIG hail. Couple of small dents in the hood of the Passat. I hope the dry ice guys can fix them. We had a very long day of driving yesterday. Getting ready to take on the last leg of the trip.

I have no way to upload photos right now so you'll just have to take my word for it... There is a lot of beautiful scenery out this way. Along with some that is pretty boring.

It's all good.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-17T17:19:00.002-05:00

Fog....

On the way to work this morning....

Foggy this morning, 86F this afternoon. Sweet.

Judy and I are heading to Arizona tonight. Driving. 1500+ miles. Should be fun. We'll arrive there sometime Friday. I hope. :) We'll be back here sometime the 26th. I suspect that blog posts will be spotty, at best.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-14T21:00:00.007-05:00

State TTT Championships....

Part of the Bike Tech Crew....
Rassy's....

They did good....

(No) Mercy crew....

A good day of racing today. Judy and I had corner one again. No "remarkable" incidents this year. No one puts on a race quite like the Bike Tech crew does. And the food..... Oh my! Kat's pasta salad is OUT OF THIS WORLD! Yummmmm.....

Of course, I'm dealing with a little sunburn, again....

Commentary, pictures, and results HERE.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-13T19:48:00.002-05:00

Afternoon ride....

Mmmmmmm....
The Cedar in Waterloo....

Through a series of emails, text messages, and phone calls, Fatty and I were able to arrange for a ride this afternoon. He emailed me as I was walking out the door to go to lunch, which got him a text message from me in response about a half hour later. We made arrangements to meet at 6 but the caveat was that I had to call him before I left to make sure he was awake from his nap. I was worried that I wouldn't wake up from mine in time to call him and get to the meeting place at the prescribed time. Brother of Jackal came in to talk to his mother after he got off work and that woke me up at just the right time. I sent Fatty a text asking if he was still sleeping which got me a phone call back from him and we met out on the trail at 6, then headed south toward Hudson. When we got to Shaulis Road we took a slight detour and rolled back into the woods at the Greenbelt where he pulled two beers out of his jersey pocket. "Happy belated birthday"! Oh yeah! It went down soooooo smooth, like Guinness always does. Thanks, Buddy :) Those skeeters love you! Whoa!

We finished our beers and headed down to Hudson then took Ho Chi Minh back north toward Waterloo. We parted company at 63 and Ridgeway and I headed toward downtown then back along the Cedar on River Road and around behind Electric Park and home. Good ride! Barely a breeze, sunshine, and low 70's. What could be better?

Judy and I are going over to Littleton in the morning to work at the State TTT Championships. This will be our 3rd year doing this for the team. Always a good time and the weather looks like it will be good tomorrow.

That's about it for now.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-13T10:43:00.007-05:00

A few pics....

Birds watching....

Over the river and through the woods....

Home, sweet home....

Out at Big Woods.....

Abandoned....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-12T06:42:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday....

Rode the Surly for a couple hours last night. Work has been hectic, to say the least, for the last couple weeks, and I left the plant at about the time the group ride was leaving the shop, so I missed that. Darn! That led to a couple of hours on the Surly, which was good.

The picture? It's an old one of Kerkove doing what Kerkove does best.

That's about it for now.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-11T06:49:00.005-05:00

Good advice....

For some reason this picture reminds me of Fatty.... I don't know why. It just does.

Is it:

A) The sage advice?

B) The quizzical look on his face?

C) The big feet?

D) Something else?

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-09T06:26:00.004-05:00

Today....

46F and sunny this morning. Sweet!

On this date 36 years ago, I made Judy the luckiest girl in the world! Sweet!

I know it's a little late, and I apologize for that, but, CONGRATS to Redg and his wife on the birth of their daughter! Woohoo! She needs a bike, Buddy! I'd suggest CX. Just sayin'....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-08T06:32:00.005-05:00

Curious....

Storm clouds....
Just riding along....

It rained most of the day on Saturday, which meant the bicycle stayed in the basement. We had planned to ride down to the farmer's market in Cedar Falls so I got up and got ready but apparently was the only one willing to ride in the drizzle. Ah well. It's all good. Jackal and Moo drove down there with The Queen, and I received some excellent M&M cookies and some asparagus later in the day. Mmmmmm.... Thank you! (along with a new water bottle and a gift card to be used at the shop)

Jackal and I rode to Hudson on the bike path on Sunday afternoon and back on Ho Chi Minh. It was warm and mostly sunny with a fairly stiff breeze out of the SE. I had a tummy full of food from lunch and was a bit less than comfortable, though all in all, it was a good ride.

The conversation we had left me curious....

Why do drivers accept, or at least tolerate, the mail truck, UPS and FEDEX trucks, city busses, slow moving farm machinery, the Amish and their buggies, etc., but seem unable or unwilling to accept bicycles on the roads. Actually, bicycles are less of an impediment to the flow of traffic than the above mentioned conveyances. It just seems strange. I suspect that it has something to do with the fact that bicycles are smaller than cars and trucks and that we Americans want to crush anything smaller or slower than we are. I dunno.

I rode a lot of miles on the roads of Germany when I was stationed over there. I served two tours there, once in the flat area around Friedberg, Hesse and then 3 years in the mountains around Schwaebisch Gmuend. I commuted by bike quite a lot. The majority of those roads are much narrower and twistier (is that a word?) than the roads we ride here. I don't recall ever having the issues with motorized vehicles over there that we have here. Of course, a lot more people use the bicycle as transportation over there. There just seemed to be more respect for your fellow traveler....

It may have been because my time in Germany was pre-cell phone and computer. It was before everyone tried to squeeze 18 hours worth of activities into a 16 hour day.

Slow down a little bit and enjoy life.

Just my thoughts.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-05T06:43:00.011-05:00

Walking Tacos and bike rides....

Chris and Courtney....
Our group last night....

Baling hay at Janesville....

Jackal chowing down....

The line....

Mmmmmm....

Some of the fixins....

A little harassment from my boss....

Starting the day....

My birthday isn't until Saturday but the harassment at work was yesterday. I'm not sure why I get picked on so much, but it happens. Oh well....

I think we served walking tacos to about 100 people at lunch yesterday. Sunshine and 70! It's always a good time, since I get the opportunity to heckle the good folks that I work with as they come through the line to be served. So unlike me! I think Jackal had 8 of them to fuel up for the group ride last night. Good stuff!

I'm kicking myself in the butt this morning for not getting a good picture of The Thin Man's new bike last night. He built up a new titanium Moots with electronic Dura-Ace and Zipp 404's. Sweet ride. Very sweet. I'd love to roll a set of 404's some time just to see what they're like. They wouldn't make my old, tired ass any faster, but they'd look neat.

There were quite a few people at the group ride last night. We left in two groups with different goals within the groups. Our group ended up with 6 people going north at a pretty good clip. After the C57 intersection we became 5, as one rider went east on Cedar Wapsi and the rest of us continued north to Janesville. One of the local tri-athletes joined us for the ride last night. It was good meeting you, Janet!

Anyway, time to get to work.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-03T21:09:00.005-05:00

Get out....!!!

More stoopid birds....

The water level is going down....

I came home from work with the intention of riding the 1 x 1. I had a message to call Nikki so it was almost 7 when I got off the phone. That girl can talk! LOL.

Judy was getting ready to run up to the store to pick up some sliced black olives for the walking tacos that I'm serving for lunch at work tomorrow (The June birthday people do this every year. There are 4 or 5 of us that go in together to do it. It's fun. I get to heckle everyone coming through the line.) and told me to get out! Go ride! I said "I dunno. It's getting late". She said "ride for an hour. Just get out. Ok. I know when I'm not wanted. I took the Surly and rolled through Wyth and up through Gateway to Big Woods Lake. Saw Sweet Amy when I got out there, but I continued on around the lake. They were tearing down a house and she was still there watching when I'd completed the lap, so we talked for a few minutes. Told her I had to scoot. I only had an hour. LOL. She said I was going to be 5 minutes late. She was right.

Lots of walkers and skaters as well as quite a few people on bikes out there tonight. You know how that goes!

Anyway, my 'puter said I'd been gone for an hour and 3 minutes when I pulled in the drive. Judy had pizza ready when I got home. Yumm....

What more can you ask for?

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-01T19:02:00.003-05:00

Huds(on)....

I got home from work and the house was empty. Judy had taken her father to Des Moines today for an appointment to remove a bit of cancerous tissue from his lower eye lid and hadn't made it back yet. I changed clothes and headed south with a tailwind. Saw Judy heading home as I was heading out.

The tailwind was stronger than I thought but, no matter, I was taking it easy today. When I got to Hudson I rode through town and up by the High School then back around to the north side of town to come back. That's when I realized that the wind was stronger than I'd thought. Oh well, I made it back home and got a pretty good workout in the process.

Lots of people on the trails today. Kids playing, folks pushing baby buggies, a few cyclists, walkers, joggers, the usual cast of characters. It's in the mid 70's today and the thought went through my mind that in a couple of weeks, when it starts bumping the 80's for temps, the trails will be nearly vacant again. Kinda funny....

Did you see that the U.S. Government now owns 60% of GM? Guess we'll call it "Government Motors" now. The U.A.W. got a 17.5% share with options on another 2.5% but they are looking for a buyer for their chunk of the pie. Apparently they don't want to be responsible for their own future and their retiree health care obligations, which are roughly double what their 17.5% stake is worth. (9 billion dollar value vs. 20 billion dollar obligation) I don't know about you, but the government taking over private (or publicly traded) business scares the hell out of me. (The owners of common stock get roughly ZERO out of the deal) I wonder what's next? Not exactly the change I was hoping for. We'll see....

Rain in the forecast. Whatcha gonna do? It's all good!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-06-01T07:58:00.004-05:00

Bust....

About 5' above normal....
Jackal pulls The Queen of Cross....

Hi there....

Dirty birds. Dirty, dirty birds....

High water....

The weekend was pretty much a bust for riding for me. Too bad, since the weather here was AWESOME! I came in to the plant and worked Saturday to clean up "end of the month" things, then couldn't get motivated to ride in the afternoon. Went out with Jackal, Moo, and The Queen of Cross Sunday afternoon for an hour and a quarter. That was actually pretty good. Jackal pulled The Queen in the Burley with his X6, I rode the 1 x 1, and Moo rode her mountain bike. The river is up, so some of the key points on the trail system are under water, making it difficult to get around. Ah well, you just have to adapt! It was good.

We got passed by a cyclist out at Big Woods so I took off after her and hit 25 mph on the SS on flat ground. Whoa! 34 x 17 gearing. I didn't think my legs would spin that fast! It was good!!!! I rode some grass alongside the Burley to yak back and forth with The Queen. She was chattering and singing the whole way. I think she'll be a cyclist when she gets bigger. Good stuff! I think I'm going to start putting in more miles on the 1 x 1.

Rain in the forecast for this week. Perhaps the weatherman is going to be wrong again, as usual.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-05-26T20:16:00.006-05:00

I hear you....

Jackal told me to never write about sex, politics, or religion on my blog.

One of these days I plan to do all three. Just for shits and giggles.

I told him that my "blogosphere friends" should "know" me well enough by now to survive anything I might write about here. I told him that I can't imagine that anything I'd write would offend anyone of you. I also told him that if I did offend anyone, you'd get over it. You may not agree with my opinions and thoughts but, hey, that's ok. I can guarantee you that I won't agree with everything you might say or think, but that won't change the way I feel about you. Fair enough?

It's my blog and I can write what I want to, write what I want to....

So, there we are...

I didn't go to the group ride tonight. No fuel in the tank. I've been waiting for a harassing email from Fatty giving me hell for not showing up. It should be scathing. It started raining pretty hard at about 10 till 7 and I was thinking "boy, I hope Fatty is out there getting his ass soaked". I really did. Not only did I think it, but I hoped it. Good training for him for the race he has coming up this weekend. 200 miles of gravel. Him and G-Ted and Super and Doug. Crazy. Hope y'all have fun!

Well, I just got the email from him. I'm now a "fair weather rider", according to Fatty. Damn! That hurts! Was it last Tuesday that it was raining and I was the only one to show up? Two weeks ago? Oh well....

He said he just got home, stripped naked, and started drinking beer. Said I'm not high on his priority list. I told him to kiss my ass. Gotta love the dude!

Anyway....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

2009-05-25T19:31:00.007-05:00

Memorial Day 2009....

Father and son, WWI and Korea....

The Mississippi at Lynxville, Wisconsin....

Judy and I drove over to Readstown, Wisconsin today to visit the graves of several of her family members. There are veterans who served in every war from the war of 1812 up through the Persian Gulf War buried in this cemetary. There were more flags marking the graves of veterans than there are residents currently living in Readstown. I suspect that it's like that in most every small town in this country. There was a time when a young man graduating from high school felt an obligation to his country and he enlisted and left for "the service" after graduation.

Perhaps that's not an accurate representation of the past. Perhaps it's just the way that I viewed the world, since that's the way it was in my family. Both of my grandfathers served. My father served. All 5 of his brothers served. 2 of my 3 brothers were in the Army and, like me, they served multiple tours. My 3rd brother tried to enlist but had a disqualifying medical condition. I can't even remember how many of my cousins served. More than didn't. My wife's family was the same way. If you were male, you went into the military. No one told you to. You just did it. Strange, eh?

I realized after I enlisted that not everyone actually does go into the military after High School. There were probably 175 boys in my graduating class and less than a dozen went into the service. One went to the Naval Academy and ended up flying with The Blue Angels. That was pretty impressive, to me.

I suppose that the war that was going on in Viet Nam had something to do with the numbers. Perhaps it was just the times we lived in. Maybe that's the way it's always been. I don't know. I do know that I spent 7 1/2 years on active duty with the Army and another 5 drilling with the Reserves and I wouldn't trade the experiences that I had for anything. There was a lot of miserable duty but there were a lot of fun times and good opportunities, too.

It's all good!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!